In May 2016, the AU held a series of events to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the African Youth Charter and to draft activities for its 2017 theme: the “year of investment in youth to harness the African demographic dividend”. Yet findings from Afrobarometer, a non-partisan research network, shows a wide gap between these aspirations and it further highlights that levels of political engagement and participation in public life are on the decline among young Africans. Rorisang Lekalake, Afrobarometer Project Leader at IJR analyses the Afrobarometer findings on youth political and civic engagement